Credit Card Processing
Friends, I just wanted to take a moment to talk about how pleased I am using the Square Card Reader. It has made sales a whole lot faster and easier. Earlier this year I bought my first smart phone specifically so I could start taking credit card payments at the school and when I was out painting, using my phone. What I didn’t realize was that I would also be able to set up an online register and also take orders over the phone. The service is quick, the payments are deposited directly into my bank account within 1-3 days, usually...
read moreGrant Park – Seven Bridges – The End of Fall
I couldn’t let fall pass without going on walkabout with my camera to capture the colors at least once. When I had half a day to myself a couple of weeks ago, I decided to head out to Seven Bridges, one of the places I like to paint. Just South of College Avenue on Lake Drive, you will find the expansive Grant Park. This 379 acre park is the second largest in the Milwaukee County Park system, and within it you will find the famous Seven Bridges hiking trail. The existence of Grant Park and the Seven Bridges trail is largely owed...
read moreHow to Hang a Show.
Hanging an Exhibition of Paintings. When I was in college, and shortly after, I did a lot of work with several galleries in the Third Ward. I worked for about three years as a preparator, and have installed dozens and dozens of shows in a variety of spaces, each presenting their own unique problems. In order to discuss this topic, we have to use a lot of math. Fair warning: this is going to sound more complicated than it really is. To keep things straight, I will stick to a particular convention when referring to the dimensions of work, that...
read moreLet’s talk about Copyright.
As some of you may know, I often sell photographs and illustrations as stock images on Dreamstime.com. In order to do this, you need to upload high quality images, which must be approved along strict criteria by a panel of editors at the site, a review process that can take days. A few months ago I was notified by Dreamstime.com that seven of my images, including the one above, which had previously been accepted for use on the site, having originally gained the editors approval, would now be rejected for a very odd reason. The images were all...
read moreTruth, Beauty and the Meaning of Art
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty” – That is all Ye know on earth and all ye need to know. – Keats, Ode to a Grecian Urn I thought I’d put together some arguments on the nature and meaning of beauty to the human experience. I hope you’ll spend some time with these presentations and consider their implications. The first is an argument by Roger Scruton, produced for the BBC: One of the arguments that Scruton makes is that the whole concept of beauty and the value of art changed, beginning...
read moreThe Many Hells of Plein Air Painting
“Why the hell won’t the universe let me paint?!!” Over the past few years, I’ve given a lot of thought to the experiences we Plein Air painters share, and I think it’s best described as the Many Hells of Plein Air Painting. This includes: The hell of biting insects The hell of flying swarms of insects The hell of suicide gnats The hell of inquisitive small children with curious hands The hell of annoying inquisitive adults with repetitive questions The hell of the fellow who stands too close and...
read moreA Sense of Place
I think about this presentation every time I travel to a new location to paint. I think Plein Air painters are uniquely qualified to speak about this topic, as we are among the very few who spend so much time immersed in careful scrutiny, and the very nature of what we do documents the changes in our environment. I have painted dozens of places that are no longer what they were, due to weather, road construction or urban sprawl. What do you...
read moreWhat makes for a successful Plein Air Painting competition
After a lot of thought, I’ve decided to summarize some of the criticism I’ve heard from artists in my community towards local events in Wisconsin. I’ve also added some suggestions that I think would make these events better. I do this knowing that I may lose some friends among those who organize these events, but I also do this because I truly believe that if the artists involved don’t speak up, things will never improve. What constitutes a successful Plein Air Competition: Promotion. That is: more than just wishful...
read moreFox Valley Plein Air Painting Competition
Last weekend was the Fox Valley Plein Air painting competition. This is a new event, hosted by both the Jack Richeson corporation in Kimberly, WI, and the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum in Neenah, WI. I want to say outright that I was pretty excited for the opportunity to paint in a new area of the state, and glad of the generosity of Richeson. After visiting the museum a few weeks ago for the Wisconsin Plein Air Painting exhibition, I thought this event would have potential. Unfortunately I was wrong, the trip was largely an expensive...
read moreMilwaukee Art Museum – China Exhibit
I was told today, in a rather contrite manner, by a suit-wearing rent-a-cop with a plainly smug expression, that there was no photography in the main exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Have I mentioned before that I am a devout Libertarian? It would be an understatement to say that I have a problem with authority, especially stupid authority. So, let me share with you some photography: Last month I decided that to see the Milwaukee Art Museum’s China Exhibits which were being discussed on public radio. After doing some research I...
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